Psychic
A Fallout 3 Fan-Fic


Chapter 1 - Point of No Return

"I heard them... That way! Lets move!" cried a guard. The vault's security force's footsteps echoed throughout the drained hallways of the underground city.

"Give me that shotgun," demanded Captain Foxx. "Alright men..." he stopped to look down the dim hallway. "We are going to be split into two teams: Alpha and Omega. Alpha will take the east wing and Omega will cover the entrance. We're gonna get this psycho-freak even if it means taking out the whole vault." He smirked with an evil smile. Alpha team had red "A"s painted on their visors while the Omegas had orange "O"s on theirs.

"Alright Alpha team, make quick scans on every section in East Wing, 500 caps to the man who bags the head of Jessi Vetter... Break!" shouted Alpha team's captain. They all ran down the hallway leading to the East Wing of Vault 101. Meanwhile Jessi and her friend Katie were already at the entrance of the vault.

"Hurry Katie!" Jessi panicked. She was scared. Two hours now, she has been hunted by the ruthless overseer and his gang of thieves who call themselves guards. Jessi snorted at the thought.

"Jessi, I've almost got it... Yes!" she shouted in excitement. "I'm in and... Bingo, the door to paradise is opening!" Katie beamed at her accomplishment.

"Way to go Katie!" Jessi smiled. They heard footsteps coming down the hallway. "Katie lock that door... Hurry!"

"I can't!" she screamed. She looked up at her best friend. "They're coming..."

"I know so we should hurry and leave before..."

"No," Katie looked back down at the door's console.

"What?! Katie they're coming we have to leave now or else..."

"I can't. I belong here. I'll try to fix this so we can be together again but for now you must leave. I'll try to hold them off as you escape," Katie exclaimed as she picked up an old baseball bat.

'I'll never forget this," Jessi stuttered, seconds away from bursting into a heartbreaking sob. She began to run out the door into the cave leading to the hellish wastes.

"Jessi! Wait!" Katie yelled. Jessi looked behind her. Katie tossed her a necklace. It was a sapphire jewel with a silver chain. Jessi grew tears in her eyes. "Go! NOW!" Katie yelled as the door opened up.

"Ha ha..." The security guard reached to his belt and grabbed a 2-way radio that contacted Captain Foxx. "This is Omega captain, we got the psycho and her friend... Permission to engage."

"Permission granted on the psycho's friend, but bring Jessi to me... Alive!" said Captain Foxx through the radio.

"Well you heard him boys..." exclaimed the captain of Omega squad. "Shoot to kill." The rest of the security force raised their assault rifles and the sounds of the safety switches going off echoed through the cave and entrance.

"Katie! NOOOOOOO..." Jessi's voice was defeated by the various shots from the security guards. Katie collapsed to her knees, dropped the bat, and winced as she fell on the cold floor of Vault 101. Jessi ran out the wooden door into the wastes.

"The friend is dead, but we lost the psycho..." the Omega Captain exclaimed. He looked at his men as they all heard Captain Foxx's voice from the radio.

"God damnit! report back to me, your going to explain to the overseer what just happened, by yourself!"

"Yes sir," the captain said as he ushered his men to follow him. The steel door of Vault 101 slid shut, never to be reopened, ever again. It seemed as if the screams of Jessi echoed throughout the cave as they passed through the bullet-torn body of Katie Vance, her best friend.

After opening the the door, Jessi stumbled and fell, blinded by the direct sunlight. Once she could see again she sat up looking what seemed like Death, right in the face. Jessi looked back at the creaky, wooden door leading to the Vault she once knew and back at the Capital Wastes. Something, something begged her to enter the wastes. She felt it slightly but was to filled with pain and anger for her friend. The sound of the gunfire rang throughout her head. A voice whispered to her; Why didn't you stop them Jessi?.

"No! Go away... Please..." Jessi said. She got on her knees and begged. "There wasn't anything I could do." she began to cry and pulled the sapphire necklace from her pocket. A tear rolled down her face and fell on the jewel itself as she clenched it in her hand. Rising slowly she put the necklace on and took her first step into what many called, Hell. She reached the point of no return and passed it, now leading her into a world of uncertainty and death.

Would you like some constructive criticism?

Of course

I liked it. I'm not really a fan of psychics or any other magic/mysticism in Fallout, but that was well written.

Cool thanks. Its kinda one of those freaky paranormal things, more or less. Mind reading is a main part of this story if it kicks off

Might sound bad the way I'm explaining it but I think I could make it fit in and work well with this story.

Yes he'd like constructive criticism, heh. I like it, haven't seen this type of story before, at least with the sister killing dad and brother psychicly. Look forward more additions.

I like it so far. Though maybe more detail about the characters as they spoke for example:

Dylan's muscles tensed as he saw the Deathclaw. "We got to get out of here. Now."

Other then that, pretty good

Thanks! I understand, well alright I'll see what I can do about this chapter and improve on the second chapter once I write it.



Alright, cool, I'll star work on one soon, once I receive Yttrium's constructive criticism.

Well, first of all...

I would get rid of the preface, it's nice of you tell us that this is a story of a girl who is a psychic, but I kind of inferred that from the title. I would personally use it later as a back story, or maybe terminal logs to keep with the spirit of Fallout. You can keep some of it, but I would get rid of:



The stuff in bold is stuff you can use in the story itself, showing us instead of telling us.

A common forgotten comma rule is to put a comma at the end of dialogue when denoting who is speaking, for instance:



Should be:

"Give me that shotgun," demanded Captain Foxx.

Exclude ! and ? from the rule.

One other thing, show don't tell. A good example:



Your just telling us, not showing. And imagery is a crucial part of writing stories. Maybe:

Jessi said, her voice cracking and tears misting in her eyes.

I think that gives a better image then what you said, but I'm no English professor so do what you want.

Other than that, it made for a quick interesting read. I haven't gotten attached to any characters yet, but since it was so short I didn't expect to. I've only seen a psychic story once or twice, so it's a refreshing change of pace. Keep it up.

Good Luck.

@Yttrium

I see, the background was just to go along with the sample, since it was a sample and I was afraid people might be confused without a quick reference.

The comma rule is something I did miss, and thanks for finding that. And adding detail regarding showing it is something I intend to do, I'll edit this post once the changes have been made to Chapter 1 above.

Edit: Chapter 2 is up, slightly longer than the first one. This one gives a little more insight to Jessi's psychic ability, more or less. Hope you all enjoy. Criticism is welcome, as always.

Working on Chapter 3 probably won't be finished tonight considering 2 took me an hour

Chapter 2 - Tork

Jessi wandered down the steep cliff that lead to what must have been a small community. She walked in the middle of the two-lane street, looking from left to right at the ruins of houses. Up ahead she saw a weird rocket-looking building.

This place is a mess! Jessi thought as she walked down the street. She picked up and empty soda bottle and read the description. Nuka Cola. What in the world is a... Her thought was interrupted by a loud bang followed by the whimper of an animal, it seemed at least. She cautiously walked over to a pile of ruble and glanced over it, careful not to show too much of her head.

A loud crack ripped through the air and pieces of scrap and remains flew up all around Jessi's head. She screamed and rolled down the pile of scrap. A few pieces cut her skin and she was bleeding slightly.

"What in the hell..." a strange man's voice said, questioningly. "Why its just a little girl." Now really confused he walked over to her with a double barrel shotgun over his shoulder, smoke still creeping from the end of it.

"Please!" Jessi begged. "I mean no harm, honest..." she began to break down in sobs.

"Terribly sorry ma'am, I swear I didn't mean to... Thought yous one of them damn dogs that wander through these parts." He extended his hand as to help her up. "Names Torkque, but folks 'round here call me Tork, ol' man Tork that is," He snorted in disgust. "What is a pretty face such as yourself doin' 'round these parts?"

Jessi stopped crying and looked up at him, eyes still wet from the tears. He seemed like a strong man, in the stages of growing a beard, probably in his mid 50's. He had a worn out cap on his head and a brown vest around a white shirt, which had stains on it. "I just... I..."

"Sumthin' wrong there missy?" He was about to ask another question when Jessi exploded.

"NO! I LOST MY FAMILY, MY HOME, AND MY BEST FRIEND! She was furious, picking up trash on the ground and throwing it at him and everything around them.

"Listen ma'am, I didn't mean nothin' by it just..."

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH! You... You couldn't... not in a way like mine," She broke into more sobbing, wiping her tears away as she continued to speak. "I saw..." Jessi began to stutter as a result in trying to stop her crying. "My best friend... In the whole world... cut down by the guns... of cold hearted FIENDS!"

"Well, that there is terrible. Come inside my good for nothing shack of a house," Smirking at his description of his home, lead Jessi over to his house. "Oh hold on a minute..." Pulling out his shotgun. "This here is my sweet Betty!" Taking pride in his item, as he handed the gun to Jessi. "She is my pride and joy in these hellish wastes," He beamed.

"A gun?" Jessi was puzzled, turning the gun about.

"Not just ANY gun," A little disappointed that she didn't see what he saw. "This GUN has saved my life plenty of times. She is the greatest treasure of my life. So don't you look at it and judge it by its cover..." Thinking about what he had just told her. "Ever heard that before?"

"Heard what?" exclaimed Jessi.

"Don't judge a book by its cover. Its an ol' saying from the pre-war society, yes ma'am," He laughed, thinking about how great of a reference this was. "See, it applies to my gun, in a way I guess."

"I suppose..." All a sudden, Jessi knelt on the ground and grabbed her head with throbbing pain.

She still don't understand and I sure don't feel like explainin' it too the missy. Jessi made a quick remark in retaliation.

"Of course I understand," she said quickly, still in the process of getting off the ground.

"Uhh... Did I say them words out loud?" Tork looked puzzled as ever. "I don't think I did so in any way..."

"Oh," Jessi said, for what was she to say to that? She then stopped to think. I think I just read his thoughts... But how? I mean it sounded faded and if he says he never said it then... Tork opened up the door to his home.

"Here let me fix you up a little sumthin' eat, you look starved." He threw a bowl of what took the appearance as mud and water mixed.

Jessi stared at in in disgust, but didn't want to upset the old man. "Sure looks good."

"It is, probably the most nutritious meal in the whole wastela... What the hell?" He looked out the window. "Damn, raiders and with... knives?!" He cracked up laughing, almost doubling over. "Knives... never have I see such an incredible sight." He grabbed Betty which was lying next to the door, loaded two shells into and before leaving looked at Jessi.

"Here's another saying for the book... Never bring a knife to a gunfight!" He cracked up some more and shut the door behind him. Jessi crept up to the window nervously, opening the blinds just enough to see out of. She saw Tork walk over to one of the charging raiders and with a loud crack tore the raiders arm off. She hid under the table and more thoughts crept into her mind.

That son of a... MY ARM! Another followed but this time it was a girl's voice; That crazy bastard blew off Rooney's arm! The next voice was male, and sound like Tork's voice: Never bring a knife to a gunfight... hehehe! Poor bastards! The voices began to dim away until all were gone. The door opened and Tork walked in, setting Betty down and flopping down on the ruined couch.

"Whatcha doin' under the table missy?" He was laughing, not at Jessi but that stupid saying.

"Hiding," She said innocently.

"Nothin' to be hiding over, they are as good as dead!" He shouted.

"I know, but I felt like I could hear them." She felt nervous and a little scared.

"Uh huh... You realize yous were inside the whole time, right?" He said, a little puzzled but not paying mind to it too much.

"I heard them in my head, as if I was out there right next to them, listing to what they were saying."

"Yous were inside," Tork said scratching his head. "You feeling alright?"

"Yes, never mind," She sounded tired and worn out. "Well I better head out, thanks for taking me in and feeding me."

"Never a problem missy, say there's a settlement up the road," He drew a blank trying to think of the name. "Mega-sumthin... Megaton! Megaton. That's it."

"Thanks, I guess I'll find a place to stay there for the night." She stood up and walked to the door.

"Yous better stay safe now, missy. You hear?" He sat up.

"Yes, you too mister Tork."

"Hehe... Just call me Tork." He beamed at her politeness. Jessi closed the door behind her and started up the road. Five minutes later she read on a piece of rusted metal; Megaton, with a big yellow arrow pointing up the road.

"Megaton." She muttered to herself. The sun began to set and Jessi stared at the sun set before heading up to the giant rusted gate of Megaton.

Chapter 3 – Merc for Hire

“Welcome to Mega-ton” said the Protectron standing out in front of the gate. Jessi just smiled at it as she walked through the “arch” into the city. On her way in she noticed a man on a balcony above the gate. He was eying her the whole time. While she was thinking about this a man in an old western style outfit walked up to her.

“Hey there,” he exclaimed. “Welcome to Megaton. My name is Sheriff Simms and I'll give you the basic run down of things that go on around here.”

“OK, I'm listening,” Jessi said with sincerity.

“Right... OK; number one: No touching the bomb in the center of town.”

“Bomb?” Jessi questioned this completely.

“Yes, the town was build around it, I won't bother you with the history I'm just here to make sure you don't blow this place up.”

“Got it.”

“OK, number two: no violence, guns are allowed, just don't use them. That's it really. I'd suggest going to Craterside Supply tomorrow, Moria always has crazy stuff to sell, there are two main bars and that's pretty much it, enjoy your stay and... god damnit, that crazy Church of the Atom guy is climbing on top of the bomb!” He rushed down the path screaming at an old man in rags to get off the bomb.

Jessi crawled under a shack for the night. She tossed and turned until her eyes opened wide. Her head began to throb again like when first meeting Tork. The night turned bright white, like her first step into the wastes, she began to lose control of her body, she couldn't move or cry for help, all she could do was lay there, helpless. The bright light snapped into a dark gloomy world, with a dark orange sky filled with smog and smoke. Great skyscraqers reached out to touch the sky. Great factory towers loomed in the distance giving off more smoke. The vision grew bigger, she saw a large bridge leading to the city, filled with rusted cars and ruble. The vision flashed forward to a group of people in strange metal suits, they were yellowish-orange, black and very rusty. They looked like a group of heavily armored knights from the old stories based in the 14th century. They had sniper rifles and the group was split up in buildings overlooking the ruined street. Strange beings were crawling on all fours, growling at them. The knights were shooting at them as the ran through the ruined apartments, as if they were falling back.

Jessi suddenly snapped out of it and sat up, hitting her head on the floor of the shack. She winced in pain and crawled out. She didn't know what to do, she was confused, tired, and scared about what she just saw.

“It must have been a dream,” she muttered to herself. “It has to be.”

The next morning, Jessi walked up the ramp to the Craterside Supply. The door made a bell sound as she pushed it open. A strange red-haired girl stopped sweeping the floor and starred at Jessi.

“Why welcome!” she beamed. “To Craterside Supply!”

“Thanks,” Jessi said, not as thrilled as this girl was.

“My name's Moria, Moria Brown. I here own this shop,” she beamed once more. “Say... Your from that Vault 101 by Springvale!”

Jessi looked down at her body to see the dirty blue and yellow jumpsuit. “Oh, well... Yes.” she grimaced at the thought of the vault, the terrible stuff she saw, and did.

“Care to share anything from the vault, for my book?” Moria exclaimed holding the cover to Jessi's face. It said Wasteland Survival Guide.

“Uhh... It was dark, cold and depressing, food was bad and everyone was mean,” Jessi said in a depressing tone.

“I see...” Moria said. “Well it's a good forward, here take this piece of clothing and give me your jumpsuit. Come by in a few hours and I'll have it... modified for you.” Moria winked at the comment.

“Thanks, I suppose...” Jessi remarked. “Why do I need it 'modified'?” she asked.

“Oh, I have an assignment for you to do once you get back. You seem like you can handle yourself very well,” Moria said as she took the jumpsuit from Jessi. “I promise it will pay good, and help with the research for my book.”

“I guess, for the research.” Jessi said, not understanding what the job was exactly. “What is the assignment?”

“Oh, I'll let you know in a few hours once you clothing is armored up.”

“Alright, thanks again Moria. I'll stop by in a few hours,” Jessi said as she left the shop. She wandered around town for three hours, the town was was run down and very dirty. Being built around a bomb and in a large carter didn't sit too well with Jessi. Since there seemed nothing to do in town, she walked back to the Craterside Supply. The door made the same bell sound when she opened it. Moria got up from her chair and walked to Jessi.

“Welcome back!” she said motioning for Jessi to come over to her desk. “Your jumpsuit has been modified, like I promised!” she beamed at the sight of her work. Jessi looked down and back up at it, trying to take in every last detail. “I added a hard leather shoulder to your right shoulder because I only had one. Your belt has been upgraded to hold ammunition, food and one container of water. Your torso area has been reinforced with leather and arm guards have been added to both arms. Here!" Moria handed Jessi the jumpsuit.

“Thanks Moria, so what is the assignment?” Jessi asked, ready to hear what was being asked of her.

“Caravan guard!” Moria shouted with much enthusiasm. “Here is a 10mm pistol.” Moria handed the gun to Jessi, along with three clips.

“Caravan guard!?” Jessi shouted. “Why in the world did you not tell me this?”

“I need you to do this for me, please!” Moria begged, no one in town will help me because they think I'm crazy, they think a wasteland survival guide is pointless... Why can't they see this will save lives!” she started to get angry.

“I never said I wouldn't do it, where is the caravan?” Jessi asked.

“Out front of Megaton. Its not like you will be going very far, only up to the old Super Duper Mart.” Moria sat back down at her desk. “The caravan will be looking for supplies to sell. I want you to look for food, but mainly medicine.”

“I suppose I could do that for you. Uh... how far away is it?” Jessi asked.

“Oh, about five to ten minutes.”

“OK Moria, you've got yourself a deal, what is the compensation?”

Moria looked up at her. “300 caps along with a share of what you find.”

“Sounds alright, well see you Moria, good luck with the book.” Jessi said as she was leaving.

“Good luck!” Moria shouted as the door closed behind Jessi. Jessi walked up the dusty path to the main gate, as she approached it, it began to open and out front was a weather-beaten man wearing all leather and holding an assault rifle, just like the ones the vault's security guards had. Next to him was one of those mutated animals, a brahmin, with tons of boxes and such tied to its back. There was another man, about 35 or so with what appeared to be fishing gear with tons of junk in the pockets and he had a hunting rifle in his hand.

He approached Jessi loading the last bullet in the gun. He stopped and threw the gun at Jessi. Jessi caught it, barely, and looked up at him.

Coldly he said: “You ready?”

Okay not bad, plot is advancing, good. Character development is okay, god. A couple things to remember:

The comma rule as stated before is something your forgetting, nothing big, but it's like an itch in my back that I can't seem to scratch. Just saying.

Write the numbers one through ten, like one instead of 1.

The bold for other people's thoughts is a pretty good idea. Another might be text in a different color, or italics in a different color. I would experiment with that yourself and decide what you like best, bold is fine too just throwing other options at ya.

Your imagery was pretty good the last chapters. It is a key part of storytelling, showing instead of telling.



An example of telling opposed, to showing:

The ceiling swirled and splotches of orange began to eat it up, soon fist sized circles of black opened, gaping holes that were darker than the night. Her body began to tingle and slowly go numb, she tried to move and found that she couldn't, she might as well have been strapped to the bed.

Over the top? Maybe. But it's better than just saying, you know what I mean?

Anyway, it's still a good story and I don't want to discourage you. Keep it up.

I've been using italics for her thoughts, aka what she's thinking about, since the story is centered around her. Bold for when she hears other peoples thoughts, I could use teal with bold I suppose.

Ex. That son of a... MY ARM!

Damn, that comma thing is the only thing I can't get right, huh? I'll try to fix it though.

And as for that number thing, I think I only violated that once, got lazy I guess, haha I fixed it though.

Chapter 4 – Grocery Shopping

“Yes, I'm ready. When do we head out?” Jessi asked gathering her bearings. She noticed the other guard already walking to the road.

“Now,” said the caravan leader, showing practically no emotion in his tone, he didn't even bother to turn his head.

“Well alright,” said Jessi as she jogged over to the group. “What are you looking for?”

“Stuff to make a profit with,” the leader said, still not turning his head as he walked alongside the brahmin.

“What's your name?” Jessi asked, still curious about this man.

“Your a girl with a lot of questions, aren't you?” this time he turned around and raised an eye brow. Jessi noticed he put on a pair of sunglasses. “But since your so interested... Name's Jeff.”

“I'm Jessi. Jessi Vetter,” she said, really interested in the conversation.

“And?”

“Well, don't you want to know my name?” Jessi asked, puzzled by his response.

“No,” he directly replied, growing annoyed as he continued to walk on.

“I'm sorry?”

“Look, your just a hired mercenary. Your only purpose is to guard the caravan while I search for things. Nothing more and nothing less.” he replied coldly.

Jessi turned to the other guard. “So what's your name?” The guard turned and looked at her.

“He's a mute. His name is Mike,” Jeff responded.

“Mute?” Jessi replied with much interest. “What's that mean?”

“It means he doesn't talk.”

“Why?”

Jeff muttered something under his breath but continued the conversation. “His throat was burned when raiders attacked his home. They killed his parents and he was left to die.”

“That's awful... Raiders?” Jessi rushed over to the guard to show her sympathy by giving him a hug.

“What the hell... knock that off, this isn't a love fest! I hire mercs and the only ones I get like to hug each other...” he was disgusted. Jessi's head began to hurt again, but not as bad as her earlier headaches. This girl is not fit to do anything in the means of protecting her employer. All she does is ask stupid questions and hug everyone! Jessi looked up at Jeff who she thought said these words out loud . She walked up to him and pushed him back with anger.

“I am not stupid nor do I ask stupid questions!” she shouted, her body growing tense with frustration.

Jeff, completely confused now. “How did you do that?” he demanded.

“Do what, push you? That was easy!” she shouted, still angry. “I can do it again if your still in disbelief!”

“No. No. No. You read my mind. How did you do that?”

“I didn't read your mind, you said that out loud!”

Now really confused. “No, I didn't! You know what... Forget about it. Let's keep moving, were almost there.” He was right, in the distance they could see the Super Duper Mart sign and Jessi began to think to herself. Reading minds... Ridiculous. He's the one crazy, not me, I did no such thing. Why, its impossible, isn't it? Yeah. It is. He completely said those words out loud. He did... didn't he?...

The group approached the Super Duper Mart. Jeff looked around and turned to Mike and Jessi. “OK guys, we're going to enter that building,” he stared at them. “So get ready, for anything.” Mike loaded the remain bullets needed for a full clip into his assault rifle and turned the safety off. Jessi watched him do this and saw her hunting rifle was fully loaded, courtesy of Jeff. “Jessi, come up here.”

Jessi ran over to him from the brahmin's side. “Yes Jeff?”

“I need you to take point... Mike?” he turned to Mike and Mike looked at him. “You will have to wait outside with the brahmin, OK?” Mike nodded his head. “Good. Alright Jessi...” he ran up to her and was on the other side of the door leading into the store. “Commence breaching.” Jessi nodded and crashed through the door's glass with the butt of her gun. She put her hand through and unlocked the door and opened it slowly. She walked in, glancing in every direction to make sure nothing was there. Jeff soon followed her in the building, closing the door behind him.

“I don't like this place,” Jessi exclaimed. The place was dimly lit with what appeared to be emergency back-up lights. A thin mist of dust and floated through the aisles. Little pieces of the ceiling were falling on the floor. A row of three aisles were knocked over. Like the domino-effect. Little food was on the shelves and there was an awful stench in the air. “It gives me the creeps.” she shivered and continued walking.

“I agree, definitely could use some tiding up,” he snorted. “I guess I could pick some of this food off the shelves.” he shrugged and walked over to an aisle that had canned-goods on it. Jessi suddenly stumbled and dropped to her knees, clenching her head.

Jeff looked back and rushed over. “What's the matter?” Jessi looked up at him. Jeff could see the fear in her eyes.

“Someone is here. I can feel it,” she said trembling. Jeff stood up, back in his relaxed mood.

“No one is here, this place is deserted, always has been,” he laughed. “Come on, help me get some of this food of these shelves.” Jeff walked over to one of the cans and picked it up. They heard a snapping sound and three round objects fell from the ceiling in front of Jeff.

He looked down. “Grenades?... Oh shi...” BOOM! The whole area burst into a fiery explosion. Jeff's body exploded as well sending blood and dismembered limbs flying everywhere. Jessi screamed. All a sudden, she heard voices and the rushing of footsteps. She glanced up the aisle to see a gang of ruthless thugs.

“Come on you raider scum!” shouted one. “Get the broad!” He and seven others charged down the hallway with knives. Some fired their guns in the air as they ran. Jessi pulled up her rifle and fired, knocking her back. The bullet flew through the air and struck the first guy in line directly in the chest. He stumbled back grabbing the second one with him as he fell.

Jessi, scared out of her mind frantically tried to reload the weapon. When she couldn't she threw the gun at an advancing raider, which caught him off balance. She began to run for the door. One raider noticed this and aimed his rifle at her and fired. The bullet barely missed Jessi as she dived through the broken door and the rest of the glass smashed all around her as she tumbled into the parking lot. It was now night, she realized, and began searching for Mike. She glanced to her right to see him, on his knees, and a whole band of raiders gather around him and the brahmin. One raider walked up, pulled out a switchblade and slit Mike's neck. Blood began to squirt out as the raider kicked him over on to the pavement.

Jessi grew tears as she reached out for him, but couldn't. She just collapsed on the ground, silently crying as the raiders began to run to her, screaming wildly as they drew nearer.

Chapter 5 – May Light Shine Through

Darkness loomed on as the pack of murderous thieves walked on, screaming wildly and taunting Jessi with water and food. The sounds of the night continued on regardless of the insulting remarks and fiendish cries. It had been three hours since Jessi saw her caravan get destroyed right in front of her. She felt as if it was over, clenching her fists together against the iron shackles she bared. Chained up, both hands and feet, like some animal when it was the fiends who were the real animals.

One raider walked over to her and dropped his cigarette on her bare feet as he leaned in to speak. “Nice catch we had tonight,” He barked, beginning to form a devilish smile. “Gonna sell you to Mr. Eulogy, maybe he will you do little brainwashing...” His laughter rang through Jessi's ears. “Or... Or maybe he'll will hang you from a cage to watch the world burn around you!” Jessi looked up at him and spat in his face.

“You are just a band of worthless thieves!” She yelled. “You have no morals, just plain killing!” She began to form tears, tears of anger. A raider behind her slammed his assault rifle into her back and laughed as she fell to her knees.

The other raider began to wipe his face. “Your a nasty one...” His face growing red with rage. “I ought to...” His words stopped in remark to the leader's words.

“Mike, get your ass up here. The white-knight bastards won't let us pass!” The leader turned to another raider. “Hide the brat til we get out of this mess! Now!” The raider nodded pushing Jessi to the back of the group. A man in heavy steel armor walked over, his visor was cracked and his armor weathered. He had high-tech weapon, so it seemed, over his shoulder.

“What the hell are you doing around here,” His voice was muffled by the helmet he wore. “Answer!”

“None of your damn business, that's for sure!” The raider leader exclaimed, flicking his cigarette right at the visor of the helmet. The man looked at him for a moment, lifted the weapon off his shoulder and slammed it across the face of the raider, knocking him down instantly. Blood began to pour out of his mouth.

“What was that?” He remarked, picking up the wounded raider by the throat. “Say it again, please?”

The raider looked at him. “I said... NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS YOU METAL BASTARD!” He spat blood all over the helmet. The man looked at him, blood dripping from the helmet, and squeezed the raider's throat til it killed him. After he died, the man threw him to the side and a soft hum came from his weapon as he aimed it at the gang of murderers. As he did so, seven more troopers, dress the exact same as him, walked up. They all raised their weapons.

“Light 'em up.” said the man as he press the trigger. What seemed like a thousand lasers can speeding towards the raiders. The first three were instantly cut down and the rest tried to take cover, shooting back at the metal troopers.

Jessi sat, hidden behind a rock looking at the carnage. Suddenly her mind flashed back to the vision she saw back at Megaton: The same group of knights, crouched behind the shattered walls of the apartments in the middle of a dark, gloomy world. Jessi snapped out of it and looked at the metal troopers as they cut down the raider force. She looked at the blood-soaked helmet of the first one that stopped the raider group ten minutes ago. He had the same helmet as the knights in her vision.

The vision flashed back, rapidly changing from the vision to reality in mere seconds, it began to focus on the knights and back at the metal troopers. There was one in particular that caught Jessi's attention. On the right side of the chest plate of one of the armored knights, she saw a name. As the vision began to zoom in to the knight, she saw it was rusty and weathered. The armored knight, looked up at the dimmed sun. The name on the chest plate started with what appeared to be a “V”. As it flashed to and from reality, the name became more eligible.

V...E...T...T...E....R... Vetter! But, that's my name...

“MIKE!” yelled a crippled raider, limping away from the slaughter. “SHOOT THE BRAT! NOW!” Mike yanked Jessi her ponytail and pulled out a .32. One of the metal troopers saw this and shot his gun at Mike. It sliced half of his face, Jessi could smell the burning flesh as he barely pulled the trigger, firing a bullet into Jessi's knee. She screamed in pain as she dropped to the ground. Mike was about to fire again but the flames consumed the rest of his face and he fell to the ground, beside Jessi, and rolled around in pain as he slowly was eaten by the flame.

“Oh god! Cutter, we got wounded!” Yelled a metal trooper as he rushed over to Jessi, kneeling by her side, grasping her wrist to feel a pulse.

“How many?” Cutter yelled back. Jessi glanced at him, noticing he was the first man she saw, the one that held up the group of raiders.

“One,” replied the trooper. “But she needs medical attention, fast.”

“Area of effect?” Cutter asked.

“Knee. .32 shot, not too bad but it will need to be addressed as soon as possible.” Shrugged the trooper as he brought Jessi to her feet.

“Might as well bring her to the Citadel. Lyons would be pissed if he knew we left a waster to die,” Said Cutter as he helped Jessi. “He'd also send his nagging daughter on are asses. What's your name, ma'am?”

Jessi, stumbling as she got up remarked weakly, wincing in pain. “Jessica...” She coughed. “Jessica Vetter, but you can call me Jessi.” Cutter noticed she was trying to bring up a smile.

“Glad to meet you, terrible circumstances however,” Cutter replied. “Don't worry sweetie, Brotherhood's got you back. Ares Squad!” The other troopers snapped to attention. “Roll out! Citadel here we come!” The rest of the squad cheered.

The group started down the long road leading to D.C. Her arms were over the cold metal shoulders of the Brotherhood soldier and Cutter. She glanced at Cutter and noticed a sword, surrounded by three gears, enclosed in a circle with a crescent underneath. The letters "B.O.S." Were written underneath it. Jessi then looked back down the road and saw the Washington Monument as it loomed over the city. Its tip seemed to cut through the sun as it raised itself, producing the bright colors or orange and red. Dawn was coming, the light shinned through the darkness of Jessi's situation, freeing her from chains of slavery, before it could be unleashed upon her.

Ahh, very interesting. I don't want to predict the chapter that comes next, but its looking pretty good.

Update: For anyone who follows or likes this story, I realize I have not been updating it. I am working on Chapter 6, but I wanted to leek abit of info...

In the next few chapters things probably won't be explained in full, no this is not because I'm lazy or anything, it is just that the will be explained in pre-novels. What I mean by that is; there will be a series of stories explaining the characters that are to come in the future of this story, Psychic. All the past events, all the WTFs, all the characters, and all their actions will be explained in full but it will take some effort and understanding to fully realize what I am getting at. These stories aren't meant to be read blindly, at least that's how I feel about them and how I hope you feel as well. Thanks for all your criticism, comments, and such and I hope you guys are enjoying and "interesting" view in the Fallout Universe!

Yay! So more updates are coming! Excellent.... EXCELLENT

Seems like Psykers are on the loose!

Chapter 6 – Voices of the Past

"Paladin Cutter!" The Citadel was buzzing with noise in the courtyard. Guns were going off, and new dummies were being replaced constantly. Recruits were being drilled by Paladins and a group of five Knights had just left on a recon mission to the GNR Outpost in the D.C. ruins. "Paladin Cutter you come over here this instant!" A scribe was yelling all across the courtyard for the Paladin. Cutter rushed over.

"Yes Sivious?" asked Cutter, a bit annoyed he had to stop the training exercise, glanced over his shoulder to see his recruits messing around with a laser rifle. He grunted.

"That's Scribe Sivious to you. I need to see you in the lab, ASAP."

"Right away," Suddenly a laser shot went off, burning a hole in a recruit's leg. "Damnit, why..." Cutter looked hopelessly at the recruits who were laughing at the misfortune of the injured one.

After the mess was cleared up, Cutter proceeded down to the lab. He looked over to his right to see Scribe Sivious looking through a large glass window, taking notes like a madman. "So..." Cutter sighed as he walked up to the Scribe. "What's the SR with the girl, which is what I'm assuming you called me down here for."

"That's right, you sort of take responsibility for this girl and since you take the responsibility of knowing that some serious sh!t is going on." Sivious looked confused, sweat was dripping from his face, his face was hot with anger. "I just don't understand! This is nothing I have ever experienced before. Medical is off the chart, brain activity his, well, what's a word to describe it... uhh... paranormal."

"Paranormal sir?"

"Yes. She has an unusual level of brain activity. It's... incredible!"

"Unusual sir?" Cutter was lost, he didn't give a damn about Science! or anything that didn't have a trigger. It was his duty to defend the Brotherhood, or die trying and science doesn't count as a weapon he ever planned to use.

"She was given a set of tests. Each test proved to be harder than the one prior to it, she completed them with easy. She seemed to adapt to new technology at an incredible rate."

"Adapt sir?"

"For the love of god... you aren't a science guy are you?"

"No, I am not," Cutter smiled. "So get to the point, please. I have a group of trigger happy recruits blowing each others limbs off as we speak."

"Fine. What I mean is she easily understands the technology of weapons, armor, equations, it is astounding to say the least." Sivious continued to write on his clipboard.

"What types of weapons and tests were conducted sir?" Cutter began to grow some interest in the matter.

"First was a laser pistol disassemble/reassemble. She did it in two minutes flat, no manuals or help."

"Interesting..."

"That's not all, next test was a laser rifle, two and half minutes, same deal," He glanced down his clipboard. "Ahh, you will find this very interesting. She trained herself to use power armor." This dumbfounded him.

"What?"

"She taught herself how to use a set of T-45d power armor, in forty five minutes."

“That is bullsh!t Sivious, how in the hell did she ever accomplish such a task?!”

“Some sort of energy is my guess. Now do you see why I called you down here?”

“Yeah, what are we supposed to do about it?” Cutter asked, getting excited that something might explode soon.

“I need you to take a team of Paladins to Vault 101. I need her medical records.”

“A Vault sir?”

“Yes, she claims to be from Vault 101, but luck is on your side. During her “leave” she set the whole Vault off.”

And... How will this help us?”

“Opposition should be at a minimal, and if there is, it will just be some insane Vault guard or two.”

Cutter sighed. “You lost me at minimal opposition... But what ever, we got this. When do we head out?”

“Sooner than later would be nice.”

“Alright we will head out at nightfall.” Cutter began walking up the stairs to the courtyard.

"Oh, and take the girl with you!" Sivious shouted behind him.

"Fine, she better be good with the weapon though, and not disassemble/assemble everything."

Night fell across the Capital Wasteland. Cutter had his men ready; five Paladins, the elite, not many Brotherhood members reached this rank, you had to be the best of the best, unmerciful, ruthless. Along with the Paladins, Jessi came running out of the lab, grabbing a coat and a weapon, sniper rifle.

"What the hell is a little girl doing with the big guns?" said one of the Paladins as he glanced at Cutter. Cutter shrugged.

"That angry scribe ordered her to come." Cutter sighed and looked at Jessi.

"Hey guys!" Jessi said, dropping her sniper rifle. She bent over to pick it up but all the ammunition fell out of her arms, rolling about the Citadel courtyard.

One Paladin flicked his cigarette and put on his T-51b helmet. "You're a psycho right?" The power armor began to cycle through system checking and all sorts of robotic sounds could be heard from the Paladin. "Can you tell me what I'm thinking?"

Jessi looked up at him. "Of course!" She beamed and studied the man closely. What's a little girl doing on a Mission like this. The last thing we need is to be slowed down by a brat who claims she can be of use. Not to mention I hate that damn Scribe Sivious. "Well for one you think I am a little girl, which I am not, I just turned 17 a week ago," She turned her head in frustration. "But you also think I will be a burden and I must say you are not too fond of Mister Sivious."

"How in the hell..."

"Give it a rest Frank. We had to deal with that all the way to here when we picked her up," Cutter said, ushering the Paladins and Jessi to move out of the Citadel. "Lets go, move it!" The rest of the Paladins put on their helmets and loaded their weapons. Jessi loaded three bullets into her DKS-501 sniper rifle.

The group set out to Vault 101. As Cutter had said, it was a matter of a few minutes before the group found the shanty door that lead to the underground city. A few of its boards were handing by rusted nails. The door was weathered greatly, nuclear fire, or just the harshness of the wastes, they could not tell. A Paladin opened the door and ushered the rest of the group inside. As he was closing the door, a chill ran through his spine. He grabbed the back of his neck looking around. He decided just to let it go, and hustled over to the rest of the group. However he was not the only one to feel weird vibes from the cave. Jessi was also getting chills, better yet here mind was acting up again. It was not mind reading though, she felt the souls of the dead pass through her, she began to shiver and then stopped dead in her tracks.

“Oh sh!t...” mumbled one Paladin, gazing at the body in the middle of the Vault entrance. Jess ran up to it and dropped to her knees. Her rifle hit the ground with a thud that echoed off of the walls. The body... Katie Thompson. Jessi began to hear the voices get louder. Why didn't you stop them Jessi? She heard the loud clanking of bullets as they dropped to the ground with every burst from the weapon. This felt so real to her, but nothing was happening. Just blank stares from the Brotherhood members. She heard the screams of her fellow vault dwellers. Run! Get to the exit, it will be safe! She heard footsteps of the hundreds of people. Well you heard him boys... Shoot to kill. She saw Katie stand there. NOOOOOOO... the sound of full auto gunfire. The blood... so much blood.

Jessi stared back at Katie's body, all torn up. The blood had dried around her, the skin looked as if it was beginning to deteriorate. Cutter walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder.

“Jessi, we have a mission to do. We need your guidance to get through this... place.” Cutter said, gently. He looked around the entrance. The lighting was shot and seemed to be on emergency power. Cords hung from the ceiling, the doors were rusted and covered in dust and dirt. The floor was covered in dirt and empty shells. The outline of foot prints could be seen all across the floor. The window to the control room was cracked and weathered., inside the controls were busted, which could explain why the main Vault Door was open.

“OK... lets go, follow me,” Jessi got up and wiped her tears away. She bent down to pick up her sniper rifle, and saw a radroach hiding under a table. “What exactly are you guys looking for?”

“You weren't briefed?” asked a Paladin.

“No. I just felt I had to repay you guys for the slaver rescue.” she stared to form a wry smile, but it wasn't enough for she was still saddened by Katie.

“We are looking for the medical section.” Cutter said, still taking in the scenery.

“Why?” Jessi asked. “Does it involve me?” Jessi didn't need their answer to tell her the truth. She knew something was going on with her.

“Yes, but its OK, what we are looking for would help you and the Brotherhood of Steel.”

“Alright...” Jessi shrugged. She raised her hand to indicate that the rest of the group should follow. The group descended down the long metal halls of the Vault. Every now and then they passed yet another dead body, each seemed more worse then the last. The group began to near the medical district of the Vault. Graffiti could be seen all over the walls. All pointing to the Overseer being a worthless, murdering bastard. A sign was hanging from the ceiling by a string it seemed, said Medical District 01.

“We're here, the terminal in the doctor’s office should be online. He never had a password, always said if medical information was obtained, why hide it from the world if it could benefit it.” Jessi said, as she began to grow sorrow.

“Oh god, Cutter... This is just messed up.” shouted a Paladin from inside the doctor's office. Cutter ran over the overturned beds and hospital supplies. As he entered the room, he found himself speechless. What he saw, was a skeleton tangled up in wires hanging from the ceiling, his overcoat was still on and on it said: Doctor Burns.

“Damn. Alright access the terminal, search Jessica Vetter.” Cutter said, pointing to a weathered terminal on the doctor's desk. The Paladin ran up, sat down and began typing:

Terminal Password: N/A
Access granted, welcome Doctor Burns!

Search: Jessica Vetter

Accessing....

….
….

File found! Transmitting now:

Name: Jessica Vetter
Age: 17, as of October 21, 2281...
Birthdate: October 21, 2264...
six: Female
Race: Caucasian
Hair: Blond
Eyes: Blue
Height: 5'9''
Background: Born in the Vault under parents Dane and Susan Vetter. Diagnosed with Psychosis at age ten. Committed psychological murder of both parents and older brother, Victor at age 14. By age 15, it was decided amongst the Overseer and his advisers that her condition was more serious...

Please wait for information to continue...
Information established.

Blood tests on March 11, 2280 show extreme abnormal activity in nervous system and brain area. Tests were run (Classified by order or Overseer) to confirm this, tests came out to be positive. Jessica Vetter was placed in Prison Cell 417 on her birthday, October 21, 2281, under minimal security. Passing security guard found the one by her cell, dead. Ruled out that it was assisted suicide. Vault 101 was put on Code Red after the guard was found and Jessica Vetter was not in her cell. A vault dweller, Michael Larzske mentioned that Katie Thompson was in process of helping Jessica Vetter escape the vault. He was later killed by firing squad due to Jessica actually leaving the vault. Katie Thompson was shot on the spot by Omega Squad's captain.

Special Information: She has a unusual talent for “reading people's minds”, she seems to adapt to new surroundings well, and is an excellent strategist, which probably explains part of her escape. She has amazing stealth capabilities, out of the 100 guards guarding the whole prison block, none heard or saw her escape, which is still baffling the Overseer today. Enclave did stop by to retrieve Jessica Vetter but arrived days late after her escape. Ending up murdering the whole Vault for they thought the Vault was denying their request, however this was not true.

Rest of information is classified under the rights of the United States Government...

Attempting the bypass of classification... Bypass failed.

Terminal shutdown eminent...

I like it a lot, waiting for more.

I like it. I have a few questions, though. I was wondering: when do we get to learn about Paladin/Knight Vetters? My other question is: how long will it be? I'd love for it to be long, but it doesn't matter if it isn't. Also, a bit of constructive criticism: watch for typos, if you aren't sure how something is spelled google the way you think it is spelled and google will correct you. If English isn't your native language then sorry.

Question 1: Well, you will have to wait and see, what doesn't come in this story will sure come in future ones.

Question 2: I hope for it to be long, originally I had planned for it to be ten chapters but now I see it should be longer.

Criticism: English is my native language, and I try my best to spell things right. If what you see is wrong, it is most likely a character's name, which it shouldn't be. If you could provide and example of what you mean I will gladly take a look at it.

Glad you like it!

Chapter 7 - Remember the Wolves?

Night still covered the Capital Wastes as Jessi, Cutter, and Cutter's squad emerged from the cold steel labyrinth that was Vault 101. All was silent as the group pressed on ward into the darkness back to the Citadel. The information that they had gathered puzzled Cutter. He wondered why such an amazing girl, Jessi, was so... far away. Words escaped him for he was tired and bent over from the mission. The had gotten lost a few times leaving Vault 101, and most of the Paladins were eager to get home.

The sound of dead grass crackled beneath the metal foots that trampled away at it. A few minutes later a Paladin looked at the Citadel in the distance.

"What the..." He muttered, then looked at Cutter. "Sir, the Citadel is awfully bright... and noisy for this time." He glanced at the clock interface in his helmet. It read 5:00 a.m.

"Yeah, I wonder what is going on." Cutter muttered, for he really didn't care. It was almost day break and he still hadn't rested in 23 hours. Likewise the rest of the group didn't care as much either. Minutes later they reached the outskirts of the Brotherhood's base defenses, that was when Cutter noticed something was really off. People were screaming, running around and the flood lights were flashing in all different directions. The group neared the Citadel to find themselves in disbelief... Hundreds, maybe more lay on sleeping bags and operation tables, all over the outer courtyard. They were screaming in pain, blood soaked into the rocks and ground. Troopers were running up and down. Medical supplies were scattered everywhere. Cutter glanced at a trooper; he had a red cross painted on the front of his helmet, overlapping his visor, but he noticed a strange insignia on the troopers shoulder. He looked closer, it was a silver wolf, howling at the sky.

"Oh no..." Cutter said. The rest of the Paladins caught the same terror. They began looking at each other when a door leading into A-Wing flew open, and a women burst out of it in rage. Her power armor was torn, she was missing sections of it everywhere, one of her legs was missing power armor, her shoulder, and half of her torso was missing it as well. Blood seemed to harden like a shell over her suit. She bore the wolf insignia.

"Where the hell is Elder Lyons!" She screamed. "I want to give him the good news!"

Jessi tugged on Cutter's shoulder. "Who is she?" She asked.

"That is Paladin Captain Sonya, of Steel Wolf Squadron..." His voiced was quiet, almost mourning.

"Steel Wolf Squadron?" Jessi hadn't heard of them before. As a matter of fact, she was puzzled with how many troops there were everywhere.

"They were the largest Brotherhood squad in the Capital Waste division," He continued. "They fought in the Scourge and once the Brotherhood settled in the Citadel, Elder Lyons sent them to purge the city of super mutants, once we knew they were here."

"I didn't know you guys had so many members..." Jessi said.

"We don't. Elder Lyons sent them to the heart of the city, sort of as punishment for allowing 'outsiders' to join the Brotherhood of Steel. Not much was heard from them since. This is the first time they have showed themselves in ten years..."

“And you want to know why?" Sonya walked up, spitting blood on the floor.

"Paladin Captain Sonya!" Cutter saluted her with full respect. 'It is an honor to..."

"Save it scrub, we have been... You know what? Why should I tell you what has happened now?" She asked herself. "If the girl wants to know about Steel Wolf Squadron, why don't she come along with us on are trip back to Haven?"

"I would love to!" Jessi said, getting up to shake the Captain's hand. Sonya just looked away.

“Pack your things, we head out in a few hours...” With that Sonya walked away, still shouting for Elder Lyons and ordering the wounded to sit down and shut up.

Cutter looked at Jessi. “Do you realize what you have done?!” He asked in bewilderment. “You must reconsider.” He was almost pleading, for he had come to accept Jessi as a person and a friend of the Brotherhood.

“I can't, as I said, I want to see and hear about the Steel Wolves,” She replied. “And I will be back, this shouldn't take long.”

Cutter glanced to his right to see a medic jamming a stimpack into the arm of a wounded soldier He screamed in agony. “I sure hope so.”

Sonya re-entered the Lab. “Elder Lyons! Come out where ever you are!” She turned to see the old man, he was fearful and filled with grief.

“Captain Sonya, I am so sorry... I just forgot...”

“FORGOT?!” Sonya screamed. “My men are dieing as we speak, and you forgot!!”

“Sonya, I am sorry, it has been rough over here as well and...” Lyons was cut off.

“Rough?! You call letting your daughter prance around with a group of misfits killing one or two super mutants and then taking a long rest, rough! You call that little skirmish at the Jefferson Memorial rough? You call sitting back sipping on cold purified water... rough!”

“Sonya...”

“You're foolish old man, you have no idea do you? Do you know what we have been through... Do you!?”

“No...”

“Of course you don't. Would you like me to explain to what is going on so you can see my view on this? Too bad, I'm doing it anyways...”

“This really isn't necessary...”

“You sent us in ten years ago, to clear the eastern ruins of D.C. For ten years... we fought. The whole damn area is a war zone. Enclave pound are troops with air strikes every day. Their artillery bombs are trenches constantly... SUPER MUTANTS DRAG OUR FRIENDS AWAY TO BE SLAUGHTERED!”

“This is all terrible...”

“And that's not all, the Enclave send it troops to burn the bodies. I... I have seen my troops, be ripped in half by savage beasts. With Behemoths on are left cutting all hope of supplies to reach us, like you even knew we existed, and Enclave artillery from the air, we are sitting ducks in a collapsed car tunnel waiting to die. Ammo is short, and I am down to 150 men, providing they even live to speak.”

“We will send aid as soon as possible, just please give us time to...”

“No, the Steel Wolves started this war, and we will finish it, and all will be known that we defended our name to the last man.” With that Sonya slammed the door and left, to gather what Paladins and Knights remained and head back to the eastern outpost, Haven.

It had been five hours, Jessi lay shivering on one of the benches in the courtyard. As dawn came, the light shinned over her, a blueish reflection came across Jessi's face. She blocked it with her hand and stared down to see Katie's sapphire necklace. Jessi! Wait! Jessi winced at this. Go! NOW! She stared at the beautiful radiance the sapphire gave off. She then noticed Sonya walking over.

“Rise and shine! We don't stop for anyone, grab your gear and follow us.” Sonya pointed to Jessi's sniper rifle and ammunition.

“Yes ma'am.” Jessi slumped off the bench and grabbed her possessions. She looked at her sniper rifle.

“Come on! Let's go already!”

“Coming.” Jessi stared back at her sniper rifle, she picked it up and tied Katie's sapphire necklace to the barrel, loaded it up with five rounds of .308 and placed it over her right shoulder as she walked over to Sonya and her team.